“Aah… I'm dying…”

A groan, barely suppressed with pain, mingled with light gasps. Qu Longjun was covered in sweat, sitting on a stool under the eaves, as Ning Ji used his palm to push up her arm, kneading her body.

Her teeth were clenched, and her hair was damp, hanging in strands.

The morning's intensified exercise had just ended, and the accompanying blood circulation promotion was not easy to bear. Driven by internal energy, Ning Ji's palm was hot, guiding Qu Longjun's Qi and blood to circulate faster, which brought unparalleled soreness, numbness, and pain, making Qu Longjun unable to help but moan softly.

There was also a hint of ambiguity in the air.

After confessing their feelings, the young man and woman had shared many kisses and hugs, and they had recognized each other in their hearts. However, the taste of love progressed gradually, and they had not yet crossed the deeper line. At this moment, under the eaves in the early morning, during this unbearable blood circulation promotion, as his palm kneaded her, a softer emotion was spreading in both of their hearts.

She bit her teeth tightly, and the sound she made was very slight.

After this morning lesson, the two of them sat on the stool for a while, holding hands. Qu Longjun said "It hurts" several times before going to the bathroom to wash and change her clothes. Ning Ji then left the yard, went outside to buy a large breakfast, and ate it with Qu Longjun.

"...That Chen Shuangran, the little witch, invited you over, and she may not have good intentions. You exhausted your energy for me this morning... you must be careful..."

"...Well, what's exhausting about this? I'm fine." Ning Ji was radiant.

This kind of internal energy blood circulation promotion does consume some energy, but the subtle and strange feeling that stirred the heartstrings of both of them compensated for some of the loss, and even made him feel more capable than usual. This is difficult to explain in the current era, but if it were in later generations, it would probably be described as the blessing of hormones—a scientific principle.

"...I'm more worried about you. I'll still send you to the teahouse near the Zuo family to pass the time today."

"Okay."

"As for Chen Shuangran… I've figured it out. As long as I'm worse than her, she shouldn't be able to do anything to me."

"They're all bad people. Don't be soft-hearted."

"Okay." Ning Ji ate his food, nodding, and then paused. "...Based on what Yue Yun did yesterday, it wouldn't be unjust to kill any of these people."

After breakfast, they washed up, disguised themselves, and took out their identity documents to go out. The atmosphere on the streets was much more tense this morning. The Imperial Guards were already on duty outside the city, and it was said that they would check identities in each market and street. Although the rhetoric was not strict, everyone knew that things would not be simple.

Taking Qu Longjun with him, Ning Ji made several attempts to scout and get rid of surveillance. He was already a top scout, and it was generally difficult for anyone following him to escape his notice. But for Qu Longjun's safety, he doubled these efforts before feeling relieved.

Chen Shuangran's desire to meet was conveyed by the Fish King last night, but knowing that little bitch's scheming, who knew if she had planned to keep an eye on them from Huaiyun Lane.

If that were the case, Ning Ji didn't plan to let any of those stalkers live, and he wouldn't care about taking action in the city.

Fortunately, no such informants were discovered.

On the way to the Zuo family, they could even feel that the atmosphere near Houguan County was not right, and they could even hear people talking on the road.

"Isn't there going to be trouble over there..."

Ning Ji and Qu Longjun looked at each other.

When the two of them summarized the information last night, this possibility had already been confirmed. The next step after framing the young magistrate was of course a riot.

When they reached an alley near the teahouse opened by the Zuo family, Qu Longjun tugged on Ning Ji's clothes.

"I can guess what the little witch is planning by inviting you over..."

"What plan?"

Qu Longjun leaned into his ear and whispered a few words.

...

After settling Qu Longjun down, Ning Ji headed towards the place agreed upon last night. From a distance, the atmosphere in Houguan County seemed to be noisy. He climbed up several high points to look around and found that some Imperial Guards and yamen runners were coming towards the north of the city. Many watchtowers had already arranged observers, and there were flag signals waving. In the direction of the Imperial City, even a warning hot air balloon had been raised.

Fuzhou's flag signals were different from those in the Southwest, and Ning Ji didn't understand them very well. But after observing the deployment of troops in the city, he found that the blockades and arrangements in several places were clearly differentiated and coordinated with each other, which meant that the imperial court was prepared.

It was not surprising, such a small matter, they would deserve to die if they weren't prepared.

He stopped worrying about it and headed towards the agreed place.

Before long, a commotion started in the distance, and the imperial court launched a siege against the rioting crowd.

...

North of Houguan County, on several roads leading to the Ministry of Justice in the city, as the Imperial Guards closed in, the people who had joined in the "fun" were a little dazed for a moment.

The victim's family members, who were crying and surrounded by the crowd, were also shocked. According to the surrounding villagers, they were just going to the Ministry of Justice to seek justice for the victimized family members and cry for a while. Such things had happened in Houguan County two months ago, and the imperial court had not been tempered except to send people to comfort them. Even that soldier committed suicide on the spot, and the army could only apologize. How could it be that this time, when their side was clearly in the right, the imperial court had sent out the army?

"...Officials protect each other!" Someone hesitated for a moment and shouted loudly, "Everyone was right, they secretly let the young magistrate run away—"

"The Imperial Guards are also like this..."

"The young magistrate is riding a horse and committing murder—"

"How can the government do this..."

"Is there any law?"

One after another, the crowd was surging with emotions.

In the crowd, the government's spies pointed and circled people, while the soldiers in the high places had already targeted the important targets in the crowd.

At the first quarter of Si hour (around 9:15 AM), the first row of people holding water and fire sticks pushed into the crowd to carry out arrests.

With a "clang—" sound, someone drew a knife from the crowd, and then was shot down to the ground by arrows flying from above.

At the moment when blood splattered, the remaining Green Forest people mixed in the crowd suddenly erupted. Some were backbones instructed by their superiors and already understood that this matter was different from usual. There were also more Green Forest heroes who had come to join the fun and gain experience after hearing about Chen Shuangran's great achievements. At this moment, they wanted to find a place to escape, only to find that the streets and alleys in front and behind had already been blocked by the government.

"Kill—"

Water and fire sticks, fishing nets, and shackles rushed into the crowd, and chaos exploded...

To the west, on a more distant building, Chen Shuangran put down her binoculars and smiled with wide eyes: "They really... fought..." She looked at Mr. Jin on the side.

Mr. Jin was also smiling: "I said long ago that the imperial court would not swallow its anger all the time. They would definitely fight the second time they rioted."

"Fortunately, there is Mr. Jin's guidance."

"It depends on the hard work of the people in the game."

"...Qiu Tiger is a violent person with no brains, and Liang Run and his gang are the same... they have to fight."

The two of them held up their binoculars and watched for a while.

In the distant streets, the gathered Green Forest people did not surrender, but under the instigation of some leaders, they drew out their weapons and fought desperately. Some people were looking for a way to leave. The government's encirclement nearby stretched for several blocks. With such a large area, they thought they could always find a way to escape. Coincidentally, most of the people surrounded in the middle were ordered to squat on the ground, while a small number were coerced into rushing forward, crying and shouting.

The leaders of the two Green Forest forces, Qiu Tiger and Liang Run, who were responsible for instigating and connecting the crowd earlier, did not surrender immediately, but chose to expand the situation.

Mr. Jin put down his binoculars: "I should go over."

"Take care, Mr. Jin." Chen Shuangran said, "It doesn't matter if you fail, I only ask that you can come back safely."

The other party sneered, turned around and disappeared out the door.

...

Not long after the sound of fighting and killing rang from a distance, Ning Ji arrived at the agreed location.

A long street lined with lush trees in the west of the city could avoid some high-altitude surveillance, but the road was not sparsely populated, at least not a good place for fighting and killing.

He walked slowly forward for a while, and someone bumped into him from the front.

It was a young man with disheveled hair, who should have practiced some martial arts. He pretended not to look at the road, and when he got close, he pressed a piece of paper into Ning Ji's arms, saying: "My master said, meet at Heyun Pool under Nine Immortal Mountain."

Ning Ji had already caught the piece of paper, opened it and looked at it. The paper was crookedly drawn with a simple map, and the drawer did not know whether it was Chen Shuangran.

It was quite humorous.

The young man who delivered the message had already run several feet away. He had completed his task, and there was nothing more to do here. However, as soon as his mind relaxed, someone suddenly grabbed his arm.

The young man who he had delivered the message to now appeared beside him like a ghost, pinching his arm.

"Uh..."

He looked back, not understanding.

"Who is your master?"

"You...you'll know when you meet him..."

"You say meet him, so I have to meet him?"

"You..." He was stunned for a moment, "Aren't you...here to meet that person...?"

The young man was shorter than him, but the aura emanating from his body was definitely not kind. As soon as he finished speaking, his arm suddenly hurt, and the other party increased the strength of his grip, and he almost felt his bones were about to shatter.

"Aah...wait, wait, wait, young hero, I'm just a messenger, I'm just a messenger. My boss is not the person you want to see, he also received orders from someone else, just passing on a piece of paper and a word, young hero—I don't know what you guys do—"

"You come with me."

"Wh-what...look..."

This person turned his head to the side, then struggled and tried to shout loudly. The next moment, another hand directly grabbed his throat, pinching him so that he knelt down on the ground, his body leaning back.

He couldn't make any sound, only the breath from his mouth and nose weakened, and his face flushed red.

The young man looked down at him coldly. When his face was almost the color of pig liver, he gently released his hand that was strangling his throat.

The young man who had just returned from the gates of hell knelt on the ground, coughing and breathing with difficulty.

"You dare to shout." He heard the young man say in his ear, "I'll strangle you in front of everyone."

There were people on the street, and an aunt who was buying vegetables and going home not far away stared blankly at this scene, then hugged her basket tightly and hurried away.

"Young hero...I really just received five coins to pass on a message...what do you want me to do over there..."

The young man didn't dare to resist anymore and led the way towards the agreed location.

He heard the young man answer from behind.

"The person I'm meeting is not a good person. If she plays tricks, I'll let you die in her face..."

This place was actually not far from Nine Immortal Mountain. The two walked towards there one after the other. While walking, the young man chatted with the young man who was delivering the message about various topics, such as who his boss was, where he made a living, how many people were in his family, etc. The young man answered almost crying.

Arriving near the so-called Heyun Pool, the pool was not small, there were several dirt roads around it, trees on the side of the road, and even a few tea stalls could be seen far and near, but it didn't seem like there were any very special people waiting there. Ning Ji frowned and waited with the other party at the fork in the road.

"Where is the person?"

He asked the young man in front.

The young man was shaking: "I'm just a messenger..."

During such a conversation, a middle-aged Green Forest man walked over from the side and said, "Go forward and turn right on the middle one."

After the words were passed on, he left forward. Before he could take two steps, his shoulder was grabbed.

The Green Forest man turned his head, his expression unkind: "Brother, I'm just a messenger, you like this...it's a bit impolite, right?"

He also had considerable confidence in his own skills, and he was about to use Eagle Claw to counter-grab the palm on his shoulder.

The next moment, a mountain-like pressure came down, and his body twisted. With a muffled bang, he knelt heavily on the dirt road.

Turning his head back again, the cold-faced young man looked down at him.

"Brother." He cupped his hands, "I'm just a messenger, what are you doing..."

"A messenger..."

The young man raised his hand and slapped him hard on the face.

Then another slap.

"I told you to be a messenger! I told you to be a messenger! I let you go..."

Amidst the cursing, he slapped him five or six more times, until his face was swollen and snot and blood were mixed together.

The sun fell through the trees by the pond, casting shadows. Not long after, on the dirt road, a young man with a frustrated face and a Green Forest man beaten into a pig's head walked forward side by side, both of them crying a little. Behind them, the young man moved forward indifferently.

No matter how cheap Chen Shuangran was, as long as he was even less of a human being, he would never lose to her!

He was going to scare this bastard to death—

...

North of Houguan County, the fighting and chaos continued for a while.

The government was prepared for the arrest, and on Chen Shuangran's side, she seemed to know that this would happen, so the Green Forest people arranged inside took the opportunity to take action, causing a small amount of casualties.

The Green Forest people trapped inside might not have understood that they had become pawns. At first, they even fought vigorously, thinking that this was just a game that Chen Shuangran had prepared, and there must be a way for them to leave.

Because of this fierce resistance, the situation was more difficult to control than expected. Some officers actively went down to capture people who were causing trouble in the chaos. After communicating with Zuo Wenxuan, Tie Tianying also personally entered the battle and first stopped a group of Green Forest people with high martial arts.

After subduing a bandit leader, Tie Tianying knew that the riot here could no longer cause problems. The imperial court was prepared, and Chen Shuangran also seemed to have arrangements. The two sides openly exchanged moves, and the imperial court didn't seem to have gained much advantage. However, what they really wanted to find out today was actually the line on Zuo Wenrui's side.

It should have already started...

He calculated the progress of the arrangement in his mind, but there was always some vague peeping that made him alert.

Tie Tianying's eyes patrolled around the outer circle of the encirclement, and then, with a few constables, moved towards a certain direction.

At the end of the street outside the encirclement, a figure suddenly fell into his eyes.

His eyes narrowed, and he quickened his pace, rushing towards there.

The figure in the distance also turned around and disappeared around the corner of the street.

Tie Tianying led a warhorse and rushed towards there. The nearby constables also looked for mounts to follow.

The figure was elusive, like a ghost. Tie Tianying turned several streets, and a startled sound rang out from behind. It should be that a vegetable vendor on the street blocked the way of the entourage, causing a small chaos. But he didn't stop to wait, but continued to chase forward.

In a certain alley, he even dismounted and ran on foot. Even though he was old, his breathing was even, and his pace was still as swift as a galloping horse.

At the fork in the road near Nine Immortal Mountain, he seemed to have lost the person, but Tie Tianying deliberated slightly and walked leisurely towards a certain direction.

The sunlight passed through the leaves, casting mottled shadows on the dirt road. Tie Tianying walked through the road of alternating light and darkness, turned a corner, and he saw the gray-robed man sitting under a tea shed not far away. The other party was strangely wearing a mask, but he still recognized the person at first sight.

"Fan Chong, Brother Fan...it really is you."

The old man laughed.

"'Golden Eyes Thousand Feathers'. The name is well-deserved. So many years..."

...

"...You still run so fast."